Intake construction for infant incubators



Nov. 4, 1952 J, B. MCPHERsoN 2,616,414

INTAKE CONSTRUCTION F'oR INFANT TNcuBAToRs Filed Aug. 6, 1949 .ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 4, 1952 INTAKE CONSTRUCTION FOR INFANT INOUBA'IORS John B. McPherson, Abington, Pa., assgnor, by mcsne assignments, to Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 6, 1949, Serial No. 108,881

claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in the construction of infant incubators and is particularly concerned with the construction of the intake system for supplying air. oxygen and the like to the incubator circulation system.

Incubators of this nature are used for the isolation of small infants who require special care such as those which are prematurely born and require coniinement in an atmosphere at higher than normal temperature and humidity. Incubators of this nature are also used for isolation in the treatment of certain ailments where controlled temperature, humidity and special atmospheric conditions for respiration may be desired. In order to provide proper atmospheric condi,- tions within the enclosure, circulating, heating or cooling, and humidifying apparatus are required. VThis may conveniently be provided` in the form disclosed in a co-pendlng United States application, Serial No. 108,825, filed August vv5, 1949. With systems of this nature fresh'ar from an outside source is normally provided through a suitable hose or pipe connected into the intake manifold of the circulating fan. When it is desired to introduce oxygen or other gasfor medical reasons this may be supplied through the medium of the air intake system. f

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide van intake unit of improved construction suitable for mounting in a convenient and accessible location on the incubator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple filter member in the intake system which will effectively remove dirt and dust particles from the-'incoming air, the filter memberbeing readily vremovable for cleaning purposes. A feature of this improved filter arrangement includes the construction which prevents the danger of shutting oi of the fresh air supply in case the filter unit becomes clogged with dirt.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a simple automatic valve mechanism in the air intake unit to provide for properly proportioning the amount of air delivered tol the intake system when oxygen is being supplied to the system.y This valve construction includes a member which is adapted to operate automatically upon application of the delivery of oxygen in a fashion to partially close the air delivery intake to compensate for the amount of oxygen being introduced. Upon removal of the application of the oxygen the valve mechanism functions automatically to seal the intake opening through which the oxygen enters and to provide unrestricted passage for the air delivery tol the circulating fan.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an incubatorv of the type to which the present invention may be applied and illustrates the intake unit located in a suitable position.

Figure 2 is a longitudinalsectional view taken generally in the direction of arrows 2 2. Figure 1, through the body of the intake unit.

Figure 3 is a plan view through a portion of the lower unit of the incubator and valve unit showing the relative location of the intake unit and the circulating fan, certain parts being shown in section.

Referring to the figures, it will be observed that the incubator illustrated in Figure 1 incorporates an upper portion 4 forming the occupants enclosed chamber and a lower unit 5 which contains the circulating and conditioning equipment. A mattress 6 is shown resting on the floor of the occupants chamber. Hand holes 1 and access Opening 1a are provided in the front of the compartment to permit an attendant to care for the infant without danger of contamination from the outside. The pressure within the occupants chamber is normally maintained at a slightly higher value than the outside room air thereby preventing ingress of air from the room to the Occupants compartment when the access door 'Ia is momentarily opened. On the lfront of the lower unit 5 there areshown 4the humidier control 5a, the ice chamber access chute 5b, the thermostat control 8 and the indicator lights 8a.

'I'he air intake control unit is illustrated at 9 in Figure 1 where it is conveniently mounted at one end of the lower unit 5 close to the location of the circulating fan vas will be more clearly evident by reference to Figure 3. Here it will be seen that the intake unit 9 incorporates a passageway I Il and a passage of reduced diameter II which leads to the pipe I2 connected to the intake manifold I3 of the fan I4. Fan I4 is driven by an electric motor indicated at I5. The fresh air drawn in through the intake pipe I2 constitutes only a portion of the air circulated by the fan I4, the remainder being recirculated air from the occupants chamber which is taken into the manifold I 3 through the open end I6.

The fresh air supplied from the outside is delivered to the intake unit through a hose or pipe I'I.. This is connected to the velbow I8 which is threadedinto the intake unit 9. In this way the location of the hose `I1 may be adjusted to permit it to run in any direction such as down toward the iioor or out to one side. This adjustment is obtained by rotating the elbow unit I8 on its threaded attachment.

VAs will be most clearly seen from Figure 2, the air intake unit 9., incorporates` a'. lter. screen assemblyffor. thepurpose of removing dirt and dust from the incoming air. 'I'he filter screen is made in the form of a cylindrical screen element I9 having a relatively large diameter, preferably larger than the diameter of the incoming air duct I0. The area of the incoming duct I il is made much larger than necessary for the supply of, air required to the incubator forthe Ypurpos'e of.

exposing a large area of the' iilter to theair stream. The provision of a large area of filter assures trouble-free operation. over a long period of time and eliminates the need/forvfreduent removal of the filter for cleaning. The screen is readily removable for cleaning purposes since it isA retained in position bya lower cover plate 20 to which is attached the bolt. member` 2j. This supports the screen by meansv of the external thumb-nut 22 which is conveniently mounted on thetop side of the air intake unit.

It should also be noted that the cylindrical hole 2,3 which is provided in the body of the intake unit 9 and into which the cylindrical lter I9 is inserted is somewhat larger in diameter than thediameter of the lter unit I9. Thus air can actually pass around the surfacey of the screen I9. This construction is providedl as a safety measure so that in the event that the iilter is not properly serviced and becomes clogged the airV iiow is not cut on. The fact that there is space around the outside of the -lter unit does not detract from its effectiveness in removing dirt from the air since the. diameterofthe filter is as large or larger than the diameter of the incoming airstream. Thus the momentum of theincoming dust particles will carry them into contact with the filter screen where they are entrapped. This construction has been found to be cornpletely effective as an air. cleaner and assures that under no condition can the suppl-y oiV air to the incubator be closed oi.

The addition of a gas such as oxygen to the air used in the incubator may be supplied through a hose such asy indicated at 24 and which may be attached to the nipple 25. Nipple 25- is fastened to bottom of the body of the intake unit 9 by means of a threaded connection 26 which leads to thel relatively -large diameter. opening 21.' Aholevr 25d in the nipple 25 provides forthe delivery of- -the oxygen through the nipple. A hollow valve member 28 normally rests on the upper surface of the nipple 25 and ,seals the opening 25a against the escape of air which may be passing. into theV incubator through the intake channels II and I2. It will be rnoted that the valve member 28 consists of two cylindrical portions, the `upper` of which is smaller in `diameter than the lower. The diameter4 of the lower main portion of the valve y28 is somewhat smaller than the diameter of the holey 2.1. Upon the admission of oxygen through the nipple 25 the pressure of the incoming gas'lifts the valve member 2 ,8 to the upper dotted outline position 28a so that it is free from the seat andV the incoming oxygen passes around they valve 28 into the air stream. The upper portion of the valve 2,8 is proportioned to restrict the now of air. through the channel 4 I I so that the proportion of oxygen in the gas 4mixf ber 28 automatically drops back through the inuence of gravity to seal the opening 25a. and reestablish unrestricted flow of air through the channel Il.

This method of providing for the supply of oxygen or other. gas to the incoming air has been found to be highly eiicie'nt 'since' it permits accurate control of the oxygen concentration. 'I'he normal air iiow is restricted to an extent where high concentration of oxygen may be obtained inthe occupants chamber. For example, with this type of valve construction, if the normal air iiow' is 10 litres per minute and oxygen is introduced'throu'gh the nipple 25 at the rate of 4 litres per minute, there'strictor valve causes reduction of the intake air to a rate of approximately 6 litres per minute'. in this way the normal volume maybe maintained and the proportion of oxygen to air may be accurately controlled to the desired amount. The simple construction -of the valve assures reliable automaticoperation.

yFrom the above it will be seen that I have provided an improved air intake unit for use with infant incubators which is not only simple in construction but completely safe in operation. By properly proportioning the intake air channel with respect to the filter unit, a large area iilter capable of giving eiective and trouble-free service is provided. By the cylindrical construction and mounting Varrangement described, a rugged unit is provided whichis easily removable for cleaning without special tools and which cannot readily be damaged during the cleaning operation. The proportioning of the iilter unit and its mounting cavity further assures that suilicient air can be delivered through the intake system even if the filter should become clogged. The simple automatic valve included in the intake unit for the admission of oxygen or other gas ensures a proper control of the volume of air being admitted with the gas. The automatic closing action of this valve prevents the entry of air through the oxygen intake when it is not in use.

I claim:

l. An air intake device for an infant incubator having a body member with a large diameter passage, said bcdy having a cylindrical cavity therein with its axis intersecting the axis of said large diameter passage, the diameter of the cavity 'being larger than the diameter of said passage, a' cylindrical iilter unit extending the full length of the cavity and having a diameter at least as large as the diameter of said passage but smaller than the diameter of said cavity, and a device for retaining said filter unit in position in the cavity.

2. For an infants incubator having a forced air circulation system, an intake unit incorporating a body member, said body member having an air passage therein, said body having a passageway leading from the outside thereof to said air passage, the axis of said passageway beingapproximately vertical, a closure valve member for said passageway adapted to be actuated by means of gravity for closing said passageway and actuated to open position for introduction of an auxiliary gas into said air passage by the application of gas pressure.

3. For an infant incubator having a forced air circulation system, an intake unit incorporat# ing a body member having an air passagetherei said 'body having another Vallan'n'el ciulo with said air passage for the introduction of a gas such as oxygen, said channel fbeing of a larger cross-sectional area than said air passage and having a valve member located therein, said valve member having an extension thereon adapted to enter said air passage for restricting ow therethrough when said valve is in position to permit delivery of gas through said channel.

4. An air intake device for an infant incubator having a body member with a small diameter air passage therein, said body member also having an -aperture of larger diameter than said air passage and connecting therewith, a valve member mounted for axial motion in said aperture, said valve member having a body composed of cylindrical portions of two diierent diameters, the larger diameter being slightly smaller than the diameter of said aperture.

5. An infant incubator having an lair intake device incorporating a body member with a small diameter air passage therein, said body -mem- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date '738,088 Vauclain Sept. 1, 1903 1,115,784 Cranwell et al Nov. 3, 1914 1,156,963 Woods Oct. 19, 1915 1,917,203 Heinz July 4, 1933 20 2,243,999 Chapple June 3, 1941 

